Love and Memory and A Cover Reveal.

27 Nov 2020 2 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , , , ,

So I guess I was wrong when I said I was only going to do one post this week, Because I randomly had a cover reveal show up in my inbox yesterday.

Okay so it wasn’t random, I may have promised to do it and then not added it to my calendar of posts to schedule My bad, but I’m posting it now so you can take a break from your Black Friday online shopping.

So here it is the cover for Love and Memory the third book in The Rizkaland Legends series by Kendra E. Ardnek. Read to the end of the post for an exclusive snippet and a special sale.

Release Date: April 19th, 2021

The Rizkaland Legends #3

When a Queen forgets,

Her enemies rejoice in her weakness.

But when the Queen remembers,

They tremble in fear.

When a King loves,

His country rejoices with him.

But when that love is broken.

The land is broken, too.

Can Water and Fire join again?

Can Love and Memory be restored?

They spent years in Rizkaland. They ruled the land, forged friendships, built families, and made it their home. But then it was time to return to Earth, and their former lives just don’t fit anymore. Clara and Andrew struggle to reevaluate their priorities when hundreds of miles separate them. Reuben and Petra are lost as they seek a balance between their old friendship and their Rizkan marriage. And Ashna and Noraeto never planned to return, so what live is there for them on Earth?

When the unthinkable happens and a new enemy arises, they’re all thrown back into Rizkaland, into a young prince’s rise to power and struggle to build alliances for his kingdom. But they no longer belong in their other world, either.

Are good memories too much to bear?

Purchace Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CSYSSXS/

Add Book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32674009-love-and-memory

Author inspiration:

So … Without going into who Rose and Richard are (you know if you’ve read LDTD), let’s just say that this was a pretty heartbreaking scene to write. And also a ton of fun.

Exclusive Snippet:

“Oh, hush,” said Kath, stepping forward. “She’s in love, and love can change a person. You know that.”

Rhoda rolled her eyes to Kath and shook her head. “I don’t even know this new Clara.”

Kath’s gaze drifted to Clara, and then her eyes fell. Her answer was a mumble. “Then we need to take the time to get to know this new Clara.”

Rhoda stared at her a long moment before rolling her eyes again. “Honestly, though, what’s gotten into her? Falling in love shouldn’t produce a one-eighty personality change like this.”

No, but falling into another world and being married for twenty-five years would.

Author Bio:

Kendra E. Ardnek is the self-proclaimed Arista of Fairy Tales. She lives in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her dragon babies and massive herd of mini-giraffes, and she is still waiting for one of of her fifty nutcrackers to come to life and marry her. When not writing, you can usually find her sitting in a random box, and she’s frequently known to act before she thinks.

Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || YouTube || Newsletter || Instagram || TikTok || Amazon

Black Friday Sale:

For Black Friday and in honor of this cover reveal, Kendra is offering:

book one, Water Princess, Fire Prince as a FREE ebook on Amazon,

book 2, Lady Dragon, Tela Du, is just 99 cents!

And, Broken, which is part 1 of Love and Memory, is free as well as an early read!

This sale is part of Perry Kirkpatrick’s Black Friday Sale, so do go check out all of the other books on offer for 99 cents or less!

“In case of boredom break glass.” Image is a book inside of an emergency box that normally has a fire extinguisher in it. In case you didn’t get the joke.

I knew posting this today would be a good thing. Now you can click right to the sale instead of remembering to come back later.

Audio Review: Vincent in Wonderland.

23 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Audiobooks, Dive In Review Tags: , , , , ,

Hello, I know this is a little late but honestly I forgot today was Monday. Between NaNoWriMo and lockdowns the days just kind of blend together. But it’s alright because I will only be posting once this week since Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the states. So this post is going to be another two for one.

Today I’m reviewing both books in the Worlds Next Door series by C.E. White.

Dissclaimer: C.E. White is a personal friend of mine and she offered me the opportunity to receive reviewer codes for both of these audiobooks recently. My opinions are honestly given and I wasn’t obligated to review either of these books. I fact she doesn’t even know that her books are being featured today.

About the book:

Image: Cover for Vincent in Wonderland by C.E. White.

11-year-old Vincent van Gogh discovers a curious new world through a tunnel on the moor. A mysterious white rabbit introduces Vincent to Alice, and their quest begins—defeat the dreaded Jabberwock before it consumes all of Wonderland.

A slithy tove, an ill-tempered caterpillar, and the Cheshire cat meet them along the path as their adventures take them through fields dancing with flowers, tangled forests, and looking-glass pools.

But all is not what it seems in Wonderland, and Vincent may not have— and may not want— what it takes to succeed. Destroying the Jabberwock may cost more than he’s willing to give.

My Review:

Vincent in wonderland is, as you would expect, a retelling of Alice In Wonderland. But it is also a companion tale to C.E. White’s other children’s book, The World’s Next Door. I say companion, because even though this is chronology a prequel, they can be read completely separate and in either order.

Rather than Alice the main character of this story is Vincent Van Gogh. Yes the famous painter Vincent Van Gogh went to wonderland as a boy. Alice is there too. Only like Vincent she is also a historical person. Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Carroll’s Alice.

I normally disagree with using historical people in fiction because you can Google them and it ruins the illusion. This is sufficiently fantastical enough to not be confused for fact.

But the brilliant life loving young man we meet in this story is somewhat over shadowed by the unfortunate way that Van Gogh’s real life ended. Interestingly enough the story also seems to account for that darkness and maybe explains it a little.

This is such a neat story, it plays on the wonderfully whimsical art of Van Gogh while also keeping the logic based whimsy of Carroll’s children’s book.

So many references to Alice in wonderland appear that you will want to go back and read the classic just to be sure you got them all.

David Pickering, is a wonderful narrator. He reads clearly and makes each word understandable. He also differentiates his voice between characters so that you can tell who is talking just by his voice alone. He also has an amazing british accent that is really soothing to listen to.

This would be a great story for a family reading night. Enjoyed best after a family read along of the OG Alice books for maximum reference catching.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Vincent-Wonderland-enemy-threatens-Worlds-ebook/dp/B07TBCCTR7

And if you are curious about her first book, The Worlds Next Door:

Image: Cover of The Worlds Next Door by C.E. White

Twelve-year-old Janie Rutland somewhat grudgingly befriends Reggie Rankin—the weird new kid at school—and finally has someone to investigate her curious sightings in the abandoned house next door. When they find there’s an impossible world in danger of total destruction, they face a choice. Do they have what it takes to save it? An eccentric fellowship gathers as they embark on a perilous quest in a race against time and their own fears. Traveling in what can only be described as a pirate hover ship, they’re threatened by monsters and storms, shipwrecks and death. Can they find the answers they need to save Sian—and maybe all worlds?

My Review:

The Worlds Next Door by C. E. White, is a great fantasy adventure that doesn’t dumb down its children protagonists. Not only are these twelve year olds smart, but so is the story. The world building is so thorough and actually fuels the plot rather than just become set dressing. The story and the Characters tackle hard philosophy questions such as free will and fate.

The Narrator was amazing Danny Montooth is one of those voice actors who can put on multiple voices and make an audiobook sound like a full cast audio drama.

Both the writing and performance combine to make this audiobook a necessary addition to your library.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Next-Door-mysterious-terrifying-ebook/dp/B077TFN79Y

About the author:

Image: Author C.E. White

C.E. White is an author, artist, and entrepreneur living in the mountains of North Georgia. Her works are fueled by a lifetime love of both reading and Jesus, and she longs to inspire others with words of hope and imagination. When she’s not penning her next book, you can find her creating collage art, renovating her house, conquering mounds of paperwork, or RVing with her husband and two cats.

Find her online at: https://www.cewhitebooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cewhitebooks

Audio Review: The Realms of Elestra Prequels.

18 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Audiobooks, Dive In Review Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Okay I’m back again because surly you didn’t think I would let a week go by without dropping an audiobook for you?

To make up for Monday not being about an audio book, I’m dropping two audios today.

Once again these are codes I request through Story Origins. If you would like to get into the audio or E-book reviewing game check them out here.

The first book:

Saved from the streets by the mysterious George Whipple, Parker and Lydia grew up in the Whipplehouse Orphanage. After being fitted with a magical monocle, Parker finds he has the ability to stop time. With his new power, he spends his days tinkering and inventing intricate doodads. Life is grand until the night Elias comes to town.

Parker’s life is turned upside down when tragedy stikes on the night of the winter solstice of his 18th year. He risks losing the one thing he loves most: Lydia. But will his newfound power be able to find her? And what about the perplexing machine in the cellar workshop?

My Review:

I feel like Timekeeper is one of those prequel novellas that really needs to be read after the main book in a series for it to matter.

The story starts off interesting with Parker and Lydia as a sort of brother sister item. They get taken in by two older men who have magic and things get more interesting, then when things are the most interesting the story just ends and we get a summary of what Parker has been doing for the last two decades. It is a let down to be sure. Not even a proper cliff hanger. I suspect that summary is probably where the actual first book takes place. I fully intend to read more of this series so it wasn’t a total disappointment just anti climatic.

Parker and Lydia are good characters. You root for them because they are orphans, you ship them because they care about each other so much. And you don’t understand the ending at all because . . . we’ll I won’t spoil it for you.

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

The steampunk aesthetic was light but there, with cogs and tesla coils and Victorian clothing galore.

The narrator Andrew McDermott has an incredible Irish accent that I absolutely enjoyed listening to. But since the story takes place in Missouri and not Ireland, I was also a little unsure of why literally everyone has an Irish accent.

In conclusion Timekeeper is a prequel to what I’m sure will be an amazing steampunk series. The audiobook is short and easy to follow. So check it out if you need something to get you through a long lunch hour. Or if you just can’t get enough Irish accents.

The Second book:

Ripped away from Whipplehouse and the only family she had ever known, Lydia ekes out a living in the barren wasteland of Oregon as a prisoner of a family who never loved her. When Parker finds her at the county fair, Lydia can hardly believe her luck as she agrees to travel through time with the boy she once loved. They finally settle in the mysterious land of Elestra, a world like their own with magical powers, steam-powered devices, and even dragons.

Abruptly left to her own devices on the shores of Sea City, Lydia embarks on a dangerous adventure with fast cars, accompanied by the infamous and quite exiled pirate-turned-mechanic Matthias Cross. When the tables turn and she begins to see Parker for who he really is, how can she escape the darkness buried in his heart? What will become of Lydia now that she knows there are more worlds than these?

My Review:

Lydia is an odd little prequel novella. it comes before a book titled Clock city, but after another novella titled Timekeeper.

Do read Timekeeper first. This novella explains the bizarre epilogue of Timekeeper, basically the timeline is not linear and it’s all messed up with time travel and nothing takes place when you thought it did.

Lydia is an orphan sent out west on the orphan train. Her new family treats her like a slave, so when her childhood friend shows up to whisk her away she jumps at the chance.

what follows is a montage of literary references that will make book nerds smile.

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

As a story this book is very disconnected, It just doesn’t stand on it’s own very well. You need to read Timekeeper first. But I also feel like I need to read Clock City first too. Interestingly enough, this book is not listed on the amazon series page for Elestra. Only Time Keeper and Clock City.

The character of Lydia is a scared girl who keeps getting shuttled from one scary situation and abusive relationship to another. As a result I feel like she never really gets a chance to grow up. She follows the trail of many classic heroines of constantly settling for the “Safe” relationship instead of the “right” relationship.

As a prequel this book certainly made me eager to read Clock City. I am curious about how this all ties together.

Once again Andrew McDermott narrates with his soothing Irish accent. he does a fair job of distinguishing one character from another, and he does a great job of reading description, making it engaging and active.

Disclaimer:

*I was given Audible codes for these books and the above reviews are my own honest evaluation of the provided audio and stories.*

About Rebekah Dodson

Rebekah Dodson is a prolific author of over 30 romantic suspense, fantasy, and science fiction novels. Her works include the series Postcards from Paris, The Curse of Lanval, Life After Us, California Express, and several stand-alone novels. She has been writing her whole life, with her first published work of historical fiction with 4H Clubs of America at the age of 12, and poetry at the age of 16 with the National Poetry Society. With an extensive academic background including education, history, psychology and English, she currently works as a college professor by day and a writer by night.

Connect with Rebekah:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/realrebekahdodson
Twitter: @AuthorRDodson (This interface is not liking twitter links, I don’t know why, So please just search for her if you are interested in giving her a follow.)
Website: www.rebekahdodson.com

Purchase links:

This time it’s cheaper to buy the audio books for $6.08, than the e-book and narration together. But if you really want to go the cheap route the e-books are only 99 cents each.

Buy Timekeeper here: https://www.amazon.com/Timekeeper-Rebekah-Dodson-audiobook/dp/B07SZ9L2R7/

Buy Lydia here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081ZH98PD?plink=jdecFSEweTaz86tH&ref=adblp13npsbx_0_0_im

Book three? Book One? I’m not sure how this prequel stuff works really. Anyway if you are interested in continuing the story you can find Clock City here: https://www.amazon.com/Clock-City-Realm-Elestra-Book-ebook/dp/B07QPRP2Z3/

It’s sadly not in audio yet.

Be Our Guest Post: Tammy Lash Author

16 Nov 2020 1 Comment

by C.O. Bonham in Be our Guest Post, book tours Tags: , , , , , ,

Today I’m not featuring an audiobook. Today is a guest post from author Tammy Lash. I love having Tammy on the blog because her guests posts are always so insightful and inspirational. If you missed the first time I had Tammy on the blog you can find that here: https://cobonham.com/2017/08/07/white-wolf-and-the-ash-princess-blog-tour/

White Wolf Also got an awesome new cover, check out those gears! And the sequel is finally here too. And make sure you read all the way to the bottom for a giveaway from Tammy.

Books one and two in the White Wolf series, Now available.

The Gales of November

(Is God There? Why Can’t I Hear Him?)

One of my favorite things about living in Munising is being so close to Lake Superior. Our house is five minutes away from the “Gitchi-Gami”. The Native Americans named her this because she behaves more like a “Great Sea” than the inland lake that she is. Her mood can change from day to day, so anytime is the best time to visit her, but my favorite month to see her is in November. The winds of fall provoke her into a raging beauty. Her power is luring, and one is tempted to get close. Resist her. Her waves will knock you off your feet and her currents will force you to her depths. Sailors respect her and poets and songwriters are captivated by her. All share words of warning. Gordon Lightfoot wrote about the gales of November in his haunting song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Our favorite place to watch Lake Superior throw her November fit is from Miner’s Beach. The forest at our back offers a safe place to retreat from her reaching waves and the racing wind that feds her frenzy. The lake’s roars are so deafening they can be heard beyond the trees and into the parking lot.

Photo is of Lake Erie not lake Superior. Taken by me in June not November.
–Cathrine

Many times, life is as loud and violent as the gales of November. We can hear nothing but the noise of worry and trouble. When this wind direction is aimed at us, we must run to safety (Psalms 17:6) and seek shelter from the painful gusts. Our safe place can be found by spending time in His word and talking with Him. No shelter outside of Him will provide the protection we need no matter how capable we may think we are in handling bad weather (Psalms 9: 9-10). No ship, no matter how sturdy, can survive the furious waters of the Gitchi-Gami.

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid (Psalm 27:1)? A stronghold is a place of security and survival. To keep safe during life’s gales, we mustn’t stray beyond the gates even if the waters outside seem still. We must never let up on our quiet time with Him. We Christians never come to a point in our walk where we “make it.” Satan hunts in the calm waters just as he does in the violent waves.

Many verses in Psalms offer promises to us that He will be the safety we need, but what if we can’t hear Him? Feel Him? In Psalm 4:1, David’s thoughts are the same as ours in times of trouble. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness…

Above image is still lake Erie — Cathrine

Life is so much like Michigan’s moody Lake Superior. The roar from our hearts can fill our ears and drown out His voice. Fear not, dear friend. He is there. He can hear your cries against the wind. David experienced salvation from his storm and he shares it with us in Psalm 116:1-3. I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call Him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

If the winds of November are whipping at you, turn to Him even if you can’t hear Him. He is there waiting to shelter you. David felt safe when he called out to Him.

…You have given me relief when I was in distress (Psalm 4:1).

Trust that His words are true. He made the might of Lake Superior. He can calm the storm in you.

https://youtu.be/hgI8bta-7aw (Video from Soundings/June 16, 2017)

About the author:

Tammy lives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula near the shores of Lake Superior with her husband and three teen/adult children. Currently, they are working together on their “new” home just outside the Hiawatha National Forest she writes about in her stories. 

Tammy enjoys hiking, kayaking, beach wandering,”hunting” for birch bark, and spotting migizis.

She is the author of White Wolf and the Ash Princess, Letters from the Dragon’s Son, and the short story Eagle Eyes from the Descendants of White Wolf series. 

Facebook- https://m.facebook.com/tammylashauthor/

Instagram- http://instagram.com/tamlash5

Blog- http://tammylash.wordpress.com

Cover of Letter From the Dragon’s Son

Letters from the Dragon’s Son Book

A father…

A son…

and the dragon they became.

One head: Malevolent, attired in barbs and spines, took pleasure in decimating the forested village.

Avery, formerly White Boar, wanders the forests seeking forgiveness from the people he sold into slavery, but is repentance payment enough? 

Righteous, with two horns on each side, tried to calm the evil one’s violent ambition.

More servant than son, Jonathan Gudwyne, had been powerless to stop his father from taking the Men of the Forest into captivity. As a man, White Wolf reverses the damage he and his father caused by returning the Natives home. Jonathan gains honor and worship, but what does he do with the remains of his past? Justice has yet to be served to the dragon. Should Jonathan be the one who administers the sentence to his wandering father? To himself? 

The two heads formed Brinsop, whose iron talons wrought chaos…. 

Can a man change? Can a broken family be made whole again? If one head is destroyed can the other survive?

From author Tammy Lash, the anticipated sequel to White Wolf and the Ash Princess. Letters from the Dragon’s Son is here!

Letters is an emotionally driven story of love, loss, and forgiveness. Jonathan’s journey to his father is raw, heartbreaking, and honest. Avery’s transformation from dragon to father is beautiful and inspiring. Letters is the loyalty of family, of blood or friendship, and the One who ordained it all. Letters from the Dragon’s Son is a compelling read that offers hope and healing to the wounded soul. 

Amazon-

Goodreads-

Letters From the Dragon’s Son: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55836769-letters-from-the-dragon-s-son

White Wolf and the Ash Princess: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37880370-white-wolf-and-the-ash-princess

Eagle Eyes: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42436944-eagle-eyes

Giveaway

Tammy is also generously offering a Giveaway to celebrate the release of her new novel. Everything pictured below.

Giveaway LINK:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

If the embedded widget is not working for you please click here to go to the rafflecopter page: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/a44877ea18/?

Audiobook Review: An Unexpected Adventure.

11 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Audiobooks, Dive In Review Tags: , , , , ,

Today’s audiobook is one that I have reviewed on this blog before. You can read the original review here: https://cobonham.com/2018/09/19/an-unexpected-adventure-a-dive-in-review/

The Myth Coast Adventure’s series by Kandi J. Wyatt

An Unexpected Adventure is the first book in a middle grade fantasy trilogy by author, Kandi J. Wyatt, called the Myth Coast Adventures. It recently released in an audio format, and the author was kind enough to ask if I would like to review the Audiobook edition.

Before I get to my review here’s a refresher of what the book is about:

Harley will do anything to keep his new pal safe. But a hungry dragon needs to eat. And the government is hot on their tail.

Harley Maegher’s seen E.T. and knows what the government will do to mythical creatures. There’s no way he’s about to let his new-found friend fall into the hands of an NSA agent. When the dragon starts setting fires and eating livestock, the choice may be taken from him.

Steria is only interested in filling her tummy and spending time with Harley and his friends. After all, they’re the ones who woke her and called her from her egg. When the agent tries to capture her, she’s confined to the farm where she’s safe but without sufficient food. She’ll do anything to protect herself and Harley, even if it means she’ll go hungry.

An Unexpected Adventure is the fun first book in the middle grade fantasy Myth Coast Adventures trilogy. If you like clean entertainment full of adventure and mischief, then you’ll love Kandi J Wyatt’s unique trilogy.

Explore An Unexpected Adventure to embark on a family-friendly adventure today!

You can buy it from amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Adventure-Myth-Coast-Adventures-ebook/dp/B07H6RXLTS/

It’s available in Ebook, Paperback and Audio.

Image by Lilawind on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/users/lilawind-6389091/

Dive in Audio Review:

Some kids aren’t the chosen one, they don’t find lands inside wardrobes, or get called to rule kingdoms. Sometimes they just have to go to school, or get summer jobs. They must do these normal activities no matter what weird fantasy creature falls into their life.

That is the magic of An Unexpected Adventure. The boys; Harley, Will and Chase, are just regular kids. They do regular things, while also hiding a dragon from a scientist who seems determined to capture it. They could someone you know, they could even be you.

The Narrator Dave Cruse does a great job of reading this book. He uses voice differentiation. So each character sounds a little different, but it’s not too out there where the voices start to sound cartoonish. His Narration is smooth and soothing, never monotone nor does he get too loud, even when characters are yelling.

Hearing this book was an entertaining experience, even having read it before I enjoyed going back and getting to know these characters all over again.

Author Bio:

Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that’s her own five or the hundreds of students she’s been lucky to teach. When Kandi’s not spinning words to create stories, she’s using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.

Where to find her:

Website: http://kandijwyatt.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/kandijwyatt/

Google: http://plus.google.com/u/0/+KandiWyatt/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/kandijwyatt

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kandijwyatt

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13817774.Kandi_J_Wyatt

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kandi-J-Wyatt/e/B00ZTC4T10/

Audiobook Review: King’s Warrior

09 Nov 2020 3 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Audiobooks, Be our Guest Post, book tours, Dive In Review Tags: , , , , ,

Today I bring you another audiobook in my November Audiobook reviews. Today’s post also corresponds with a blog tour for the fantasy novel, King’s Warrior by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt.

King’s Warrior is now an audio book!

An exciting adventure, now available in audio format!

Note from the author:

Enter the realm of Aom-igh, embark on an adventure with Princess Kamarie to save her kingdom. Battle dragons alongside the young squire, Oraeyn and the mysterious warrior, Brant. And experience the adventure in the way it was always meant to be experienced: out loud.

As many of my dear readers already know, when I wrote King’s Warrior, it was intended as a story that my dad could read out loud to my siblings each night. I always dreamed of getting it turned into an audio book, and now I am pleased to announce that this dream has come true.

Many readers have told me that they feel this is a story that “reads aloud” well. And that is no surprise to me, since I wrote it expressly for that purpose. So I am excited for the opportunity for more people to get the chance to have this story read out loud to them by a master at his craft, Benjamin Fife. It was a true pleasure to work with someone who was even more excited about this project than I was (if that were possible!) Not only that, but Benjamin truly “gets” the heart of this story, and he does ALL the voices.

-Jenelle Leanne Schmidt

About the story

The hope of their world rests on the steel at his side….

Threat of invasion looms. Oraeyn dreams of glory on the battlefield. Instead, he must engage in a battle of wills with a headstrong princess while ushering her to safety (and boredom) in a small village. But they must put aside their differences to save their homeland and complete the second part of their mission: seek out the legendary King’s Warrior to persuade him to take up arms once more. 

When their journey leads them to the lost realm of the dragons they get more adventure than either of them bargained for!

Sound like something you might enjoy? Listen to a sample:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Kings-Warrior-Minstrels-Song-Book/dp/B08KTYTZ25/

Audible:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Kings-Warrior-Audiobook/B08KTYGNYR

My Dive in Review:


*Review of Audiobook Edition*

King’s Warrior begins as most fantasies do, with a threat and a quest. The dark country is going to invade and only one man can stop it. Sounds familiar right.

Well it’s not, because for every hackneyed trope, Schmidt adds a twist. The ending is not what you expect and everyone ends up where they are needed most. Wait a minute, ending up where you are needed most is a hackneyed fantasy trope. I guess not all tropes can be subverted.

I really enjoyed the group dynamic of their questing party, the girl who would be a knight, the boy would would not be king, the innocent child who is more then he knows, the man who has lost everything, and the enchantress who is supremely unhelpful.

The character work in this novel is where is shines the most. Not just the characters as individuals but how they interact with one another and how they work together.

You have noticed that this is a five book series and are worried about getting into anything too big. I want to assure you that the ending of this book is complete, no cliff hangers or set ups. continuing on with the series is entirely optional and up to you. But I for one will.

This audiobook is narrated by Benjamin Fife. He always does a fantastic job with voice work. But did you know he can sing? This is the first time I’ve heard him sing and he did a great job on that too.

*I was given an code to redeem for a review copy of this book, All opinions are my own and are provided honestly.*

About the Narrator:

Benjamin Fife has always had a passion for learning. With a mind that remembers all sorts of numbers and useless trivia, he regularly wins local radio shows and enjoys confusing people with sci-fi quotes. Fife grew up in Southeast Idaho. He attended college at Idaho State University, where he met his future wife in their music theory class. They have been married nearly 20 years and now have six children and a whole menagerie of animals.

When his oldest daughter was three or four years old they started reading aloud from novels every night at bedtime, and have continued the tradition ever since. The family loves exploring various worlds and topics through Fife’s wonderful reading skills, which get better every year. They all have his Christmas Carol voices memorized (and the older kids are known to quote along with portions), since he has read it to them every December. 

Benny enjoys all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy – both books and shows, is an extreme eclectic music lover, and prefers his chocolate to be of the 90% cocoa variety. Above all, he loves to be with his family. He loves recording audio books, and is delighted to tell people, “I’ve finally found what I want to be when I grow up!”

WEBSITE

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE OF KING’S WARRIOR

About the Author

Jenelle first fell in love with stories through her father’s voice reading books aloud each night. A relentless opener-of-doors in hopes of someday finding a passage to Narnia, it was only natural that she soon began making up fantastical realms of her own. Jenelle currently resides in the wintry tundra of Wisconsin —which she maintains is almost as good as Narnia — with her knight-in-shining armor and their four hobbits. When she is not writing, she homeschools said hobbits and helps them along on their daily adventures… which she says makes her a wizard.

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Drop back in mid week, Wednesday or Thursday. when I’ll have another audio review up for you.

Audio Review: The Chronicles of the Macca

04 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Audiobooks, Dive In Review Tags: , , , , , ,

I know this isn’t on a Monday, but I’ve posted on odd days before, and I was preoccupied. No, not with the election. I’ve been doing NaNoWriMo, that’s National Novel Writing Month for the un initiated. So for I’ve been hitting my goals so I feel good about winning this year. But then being unemployed helps a lot with finding the time.

Anyway since I’ve been sacrificing my reading time to increase my writing time, I’ve tried to up my audiobook time. So this month expect all audiobook reviews as I try to juggle being both a reviewer and a writer.

Today’s audio review is a twin pack as they are the first two books in a series. I specifically requested these audiobooks from a reviewer service called Story Origins because I’ve always loved the weird western genre. It’s where you take a traditional western but then throw in: aliens, time travel, centaurs or whatever you want. It makes the old west so much more interesting.

I’ll summarize the books in my reviews for the sake of brevity.

Let’s dive in:

Earthbound follows the adventures of a young man who is stranded on Earth. He tries his best to blend in and integrate into the culture of the American west. If they think he’s a bit strange, well he does have an Irish accent.

Zeb as he’s called, is an interesting character, but he isn’t the only one. The story also follows frontier wife Anna and her children after a native American raid separates them.

Over all the story was interesting, but I found the sci-fi elements to be over shadowed by the Western story and characters. It’s a hard genre to peg as Western readers may enjoy it more than sci-fi lovers.

The narrator, Benjamin Fife, was good. He kept the pace going and read long sections with no dialogue engagingly. But Dialogue is where this man shines. Especially with accents. And this story gave him plenty of accents to play with. Irish, German, Spanish, and even some southern gentleman.

On content: there is a good bit of violence, surprisingly little cursing, but I do need to mention the the sexual content.

Like most Westerns there is mention of sex and brothels but this is still pretty clean. It comes no where near being erotic, and the most description we get is from a married couple on their wedding night, which is still pretty tame.

Gather the Children, like the first book in this series, (Earthbound) is a science fiction western about the MacDonald family. Almost all of which are some form of Alien hybrid.

This is such an odd series. There are very small references to anything sci-f. For the most part it’s just a western. The story follows the various family and friends of the main character Mac, as they live life. They get married and conduct business, worship and fight for their lives in the unforgiving and lawless Texas frontier.

This is a very character based story and I loved getting to know all the characters as they struggled to build lives for themselves.

I hate that I feel like I need to give a content warning since this is not erotica, but the author is not shy about the facts of life. It may not be descriptive but it was enough to make me feel uncomfortable. Also there is language.

This is the third book in a row I’ve heard that was narrated by Benjamin Fife. Man this guy is prolific. As always he does a great job reading and this story gives him plenty of opportunities to play with accents which he is incredibly good at.

* I received audible codes to review both of these books. My reviews are my honest opinion of the provided material and are given willingly.*

Purchase book one here: https://www.amazon.com/Earthbound-Science-Fiction-West-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00THSCXOC

And book two here: https://www.amazon.com/Gather-Children-Chronicles-Maca-Book-ebook/dp/B015IZZ5T2

Right now the ebooks are $2.99 and you can add audio for $7.49.

About the author:
Mari Collier was born on a farm in Iowa. Since then she’s lived in Arizona, Northwest Washington (on the banks of a river), and moved to Southern California after retiring from Nintendo of America. She is the curator for the Accessions Committee at the local Historical Society and writes two columns for the Old Schoolhouse Museum. She also volunteers as a docent at the Old Schoolhouse Museum.

Come back on Monday for another audiobook review.

Interested in Story Origins? Check it out here: https://storyoriginapp.com/

Do you enjoy audio books?

How about science fiction westerns?

Let me know.